"Offering up her soul" with each release is singer-songwriter and authentic recording artist Ella McCready, bringing listeners into life's peaks and valleys with her debut 5-track EP, Breathe.
Having released 7 singles in the space of a year, Ella has been working hard at carving her own lane in the industry as a powerful vocalist and songwriter. She's taken listeners through the vibrance of modern pop but travels down a different, more organic route with the release of her conceptual and emotional debut EP, Breathe.
Co-written with UK-based musician Jacob Stoney and co-produced by Stoney and LA-based producer Jeremy Rompala, Breathe sees Ella McCready go back to what feels like her musical roots with captivating vocals and uplifting songwriting.
The EP opens with the intro and title track, "Breathe," a breathtakingly introspective piece that opens with distant and soft piano melodies alongside Ella McCready's airy and gentle vocals. She expands on hoping we can learn to love and take time to "Breathe" while enjoying life's little moments. It's a stunning piece that truly grabs the listener's undivided attention with cinematic emotion and chilling instrumentals.
Onto the EP's second track and lead single, "I Choose You," this is another deeply cinematic and chilling listening experience that encompasses the emotion of the entire EP. Ella McCready said she wrote the song about an ex who walked back into her life, not knowing if it would be positive or negative. She passionately sings, "I choose to love not to hate," and how she's open to mending what broke in the past. It's an incredibly feel-good song that perfectly showcases Ella McCready's uplifting songwriting.
Reaching the project's third track and the halfway point, "If It Wasn't For You," Ella McCready jumps into a more vibrant and energetic introduction with warm piano melodies and her spirited vocals. As we shift into the enthralling hook, the instrumentals glitter and gleam with all the passion Ella McCready sings with. It's another cheerful and passionate tune that helps listeners get to know a more personal side of the artist.
Drifting into the EP's fourth track, "Unsaid," Ella McCready slows things down with her delicate piano melodies and breathy vocals that confess all-too-real scenarios. "I don't like the way he speaks to you around me, you can't see it, but I think you should know," she softly sings. This grippingly emotional song dissects toxic love cycles and all that's "Unsaid" but must be heard. It's a chilling experience, to say the least.
Landing on the fifth and outro track, "What It's Worth," Ella McCready closes the project on a profoundly personal and genuine note. This anthemic and soothing single is a song about songwriting. Ella McCready discusses the courage and vulnerability needed to share her art with the world and subject herself to other people's opinions. It's a perfect project closer that sums up all the emotion and personal experiences Ella McCready delivered throughout the entire EP.
Don't you love it when an artist offers up their soul in each release? Experience hurt, contentment, powerlessness, gratitude, and self-love all within Ella McCready's debut 5-track EP, Breathe, now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Ella McCready. We're deeply impressed with the vulnerability and emotion you've brought to your debut EP, 'Breathe.' When did you begin creating songs for this project? How long did it take you to perfect it?
I started creating the EP in December 2021. I had wanted to do a bigger project for some time and organized a writing session with pianist Jacob Stoney just to see what we came up with and have a play around with musical ideas with somebody new. After 6 hours in a room together, we came out with 'Unsaid' as an already-finished song. At that point, I knew that we should write the whole EP together, and 9 months later, here we are!
What inspired you to get back to your musical routes and escape upbeat pop with your debut EP, 'Breathe?'
I really enjoyed writing upbeat 'dance pop' and actually found it quite an easy genre to write in - the lyrics and melodies fell out of me very quickly. However, first and foremost, I'm a performer. There is absolutely nothing I love more than being on stage and sharing music with people, and when it comes to my style of performance, dance-pop just isn't it. I want to be on stage with a live band creating an amazing atmosphere with nothing but my vocals and personality - I've never been any good at dancing around to tracks, which at this stage in my career is what I would have been doing. So I modified my style based on the kind of songs I want to perform rather than the songs I find easy to write.
What was the most challenging song to create in terms of emotion and vulnerability in Breathe? Which song was the most personal to you?
'I Choose You' was definitely the toughest. It was written during a very emotional time after a very difficult breakup, and I went into the studio that day with a decision to make - I didn't know whether to forgive the person who'd broken my heart and give him another chance or if I should just move on. So when I started writing the song, I really didn't know where it would go or what it would end up saying. I'm very glad it turned out to be the positive and uplifting song it is because I am still very happy with my decision to give that person a second chance, and it was an amazing experience to sing it to him live at my EP launch.
What did your typical songwriting process look like for the songs in Breathe? What helped you transmute your thoughts into cohesive lyrics?
Generally speaking, we started with a sound - Jacob has all sorts of instruments and software at his disposal, so often, we built soundscapes and then created a song from there. At one point, I was hitting a beanbag chair to add to a percussion section before I even knew what I was writing about that day! Once we had a general 'vibe' or feel for the track through these soundscapes, I often started with melody rather than lyrics. I'd have an idea of what I wanted the subject matter to be but would then build the sound and melodic shape first and create lyrics around that.
What sort of experience did you want to create for listeners when making Breathe? What did you want the project to offer them?
Breathe is very much a labor of love, and I want that to come across. It's taken a hell of a lot of vulnerability to put this out there, and I suppose that's what I'd like listeners to take from it - this is a message from my heart to yours, and it's so rewarding to open yourself up to people. Be open to love, be open to kindness, and most importantly, Breathe. You've got this.
